Four Turkish Air Forces crew members killed as helicopter crashes in Ankara

ANKARA

A Turkish military helicopter, an S-70 Sikorsky model, crashed to the ground in Ankara for unknown reasons at around 11 a.m Dec 17. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ

Four Turkish Air Forces crew members were killed when a military helicopter crashed in Ankara on Dec. 17, according to a statement released by the Turkish General Staff (TSK) on its website.

The crew members were undergoing a training flight near the Gölbaşı district when the helicopter, an S-70 Sikorsky model, crashed to the ground for unknown reasons at around 11 a.m.

The identities of the military personnel were revealed as Pilot Major Ahmet Duman, Lt. Pilot Emre Acar, and aircraft technicians and first sergeants Erdinç Salkım and Hüseyin Ulucan, according to daily Hürriyet.
 
The helicopter crashed into a high-voltage transmission line, according to reports.

Search and rescue teams removed the bodies of military personnel from the wreckage and they were then transferred to the forensic institute.

Administrative and judicial investigations have been launched into the accident, the statement added.

The TSK statement also expressed condolences to the families of the killed military personnel.